no position to help themselves when SHTF...(Natural News) With so many geopolitical variables taking place around the world while domestic unrest grows stronger every day, it's hard to avoid that fact that we live in very volatile times.

Russian military provocations, Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea, the escalating Syrian civil war and terrorism in Europe all make the world seem anything but serene.

Meanwhile, at home unhinged political hatred drove one man to make assassination attempts on several U.S. lawmakers, while a police officer was stabbed at an airport in Michigan by a suspected Muslim extremist, and the stock market bubble continues to grow.

Without a doubt, these are "interesting times." But what's really worrisome is that tens of millions of Americans are seriously not ready for any potential STHF scenario. Why? Because they are literally flat broke and living from payday to payday.

As reported by the website Money-ish, nearly 25 percent of Americans have no emergency savings. A survey recently released by Bankrate.com found that some 24 percent of Americans don't have a single dollar in savings, meaning they have little-to-no ability to handle any financial emergency. And while Bankrate.com was actually spinning the 24-percent statistic in a positive light (because, since 2011, the number of Americans with no savings has been falling), it's still unbelievable to imagine so many people are utterly unprepared for economic hardship.

While 31 percent have a sufficient financial cushion — enough savings to cover six months' worth of household bills — more than two-thirds are short on savings.

It gets worse, as Money-ish notes:

— More Americans are concerned about paying for their next vacation than saving for their own retirement;

— Millions of Americans actually hide money from their partners or spouses;

— Most people do not prioritize their bills correctly;

— Collectively, Americans hold a staggering $1 trillion in credit card debt, and much of it is high interest, while only minimum payments are made.

"What's more, this isn't the only consumer debt to top $1 trillion. We now also owe more than $1 trillion for our cars, and for our student loans, the data showed," Money-ish noted.

Clearly, if you fall into one or more of these examples, you already know you've got to find a way to do a better job of improving your finances. And here's why you should: As hard as it is to stay afloat economically when times are normal, it gets infinitely more difficult to obtain what you need to survive when stuff hits the fan if you're broke.

But a quick turnaround isn't in the cards for everyone. It's easy to say, "Get an education," or "get another job," however, such flippant advice does not apply to everyone because not everyone who is broke is in a position to do those things.